while swimming in google i crossed this one called Qimage Professionalhttp://www.ddisoftware.com/qimage/feature.htmit clames to be the best printing software in the world. apparently it can print in batch, can do color manage, even support raw files ... and more ...normally i would just print from Print with preview in PS with the steps described somewhere else on this site. im curious how everyone else print their photos?

QImage is well worth its modest cost. It may not be quite as good as a RIP like ImagePrint because it still uses the standard printer drivers, but it allows far better control over image resizing than Photoshop, and handles the printing of much larger images than Photoshop will. Its greatest strength is its ability to save presets that include ALL print driver settings, image layout on the page (indispensible for printing batches of small prints on a large-format printer like an Epson 7600), color management settings, printer profile, print sharpening, and interpolation settings. You set all of these up once, and they all can be instantly recalled by loading one configuration file. So you can instantly switch from printing 8x10s on letter-sized paper on Epson Premium Luster with an R1800 to gang-printing 4x6s 7 across on a 24" roll of Epson Enhanced Matte with a 7600 simply by loading a different print configuration file. Until you can afford the outrageous cost of ImagePrint, QImage is the best value you're likely to find when investing money in your printing workflow.

QImage is the best value you're likely to find when investing money in your printing workflow.[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=53265\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Ditto what Jonathan said. The interface takes a little getting used to, but the print quality is excellent, the technical support is outstanding and I love the free lifetime upgrade policy. The author, Mike Chaney, is constantly tweaking and improving the program.

Download the trial version and give it a test, I think you'll keep it.

oh ive just checked ImagePrint out. it's not for a home user like me anyway.qimage on the other hand looks pretty promising. i actually never knew there were such specialized programs like those. i downloaded qimage and tried it. and yes PaulS i'll keep it & abuse it some more .. at least till it's expired

Ditto what Jonathan said, you really need to work with it a bit to get used to the program - but once you do, you'll find that it's truly indespensable.[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=53304\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Can anyone tell me if it also allows you to add text? I had an order for six large 20"x30" Photo Montages consisting of many varied size photos plus text. I suppose it's possible to do this in Photoshop (but not easily, at least not for me). I ended up using Microsoft Publisher. The results were good, but Publisher is not Color Management aware (does not have "Print with Preview", where you can select profiles). I'm using a 7600 printer.ThanksDave

Can anyone tell me if it also allows you to add text? I had an order for six large 20"x30" Photo Montages consisting of many varied size photos plus text. I suppose it's possible to do this in Photoshop (but not easily, at least not for me).

Learn Photoshop. It's not hard to mix text and graphics in Photoshop, and QImage seems to be fully capable of reading PSD files, so you can make whatever you want in Photoshop, and print it from QImage.

in this page http://www.ddisoftware.com/qimage/feature.htm it states that qimage is capable is reading PSD files so the best way to do it is add text in PS then print the file from qimage.there's a problem though. took me a few hours to figure out. when i open a psd file, it says "Image Read Error". i guess it's probably because qimage hasn't updated the new CS2's PSD file structure, so when i save the psd file for printing, i choose "maximize reverse compatibility" or simply just save the file in tiff format.

in this page http://www.ddisoftware.com/qimage/feature.htm it states that qimage is capable is reading PSD files so the best way to do it is add text in PS then print the file from qimage.there's a problem though. took me a few hours to figure out. when i open a psd file, it says "Image Read Error". i guess it's probably because qimage hasn't updated the new CS2's PSD file structure, so when i save the psd file for printing, i choose "maximize reverse compatibility" or simply just save the file in tiff format.[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=53550\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Thanks for the info. I size and sharpen in Photoshop. Then when I import to MS Publisher, I can move and dynamically resize the images )(grab a handle and resize to fit the layoout) to suit the layout.Dave

I use QImage and think it is excellent. I think it is much better for printing than Photoshop (Elements). You can add text, but it is clumsy and hard to control compared with PS. It is really intended for adding notes or comments in the margins, rather than as part of the image.

QImage is well worth its modest cost. It may not be quite as good as a RIP like ImagePrint because it still uses the standard printer drivers, but it allows far better control over image resizing than Photoshop, and handles the printing of much larger images than Photoshop will. Its greatest strength is its ability to save presets that include ALL print driver settings, image layout on the page (indispensible for printing batches of small prints on a large-format printer like an Epson 7600), color management settings, printer profile, print sharpening, and interpolation settings. You set all of these up once, and they all can be instantly recalled by loading one configuration file. So you can instantly switch from printing 8x10s on letter-sized paper on Epson Premium Luster with an R1800 to gang-printing 4x6s 7 across on a 24" roll of Epson Enhanced Matte with a 7600 simply by loading a different print configuration file. Until you can afford the outrageous cost of ImagePrint, QImage is the best value you're likely to find when investing money in your printing workflow.[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=53265\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I am looking at Qimage having read these posts. A question for which the answer may be obvious. Up to now I have used NKsharpener output sharpening after up resing in Photoshop prior to printing. What is the best protocol to use with Qimage as it will be upresing automatically when it is preparing the file to send to printer? Incidentally I am finding that the Epson R2400 seems to need less sharpening than the 1290s. Advice and comments would be most welcome.

David

I should have written photokit sharpener in PS I use input sharpening followed by the relevant output sharpening.

I am looking at Qimage having read these posts. A question for which the answer may be obvious. Up to now I have used NKsharpener output sharpening after up resing in Photoshop prior to printing. What is the best protocol to use with Qimage as it will be upresing automatically when it is preparing the file to send to printer? Incidentally I am finding that the Epson R2400 seems to need less sharpening than the 1290s. Advice and comments would be most welcome.

I'm fairly careful in the capture sharpening process I use, and use "default" sharpening in QI printing up to 13x19. If I print larger than that I want to see 100% and 200% views before I invest in the ink and paper and in those cases I uprez in PS and use PhotoKit Sharpener. I had some earlier experiences where at larger sized (17x25) QI sharpening increased the noise level of "flat" areas of the image. That was some time ago and there may be added intelligence now, but I haven't got around to re-testing it.

BTW - you can easily see for yourself without printing, just use the QI "print to file" option and you can easily compare to other alternatives as well as the impact of different sharpening levels within QI.

I've just seen this thread, and am curious to know whether QImage will produce better prints than Photoshop CS2.

Currently, for each image I print I resize to the print size at the correct resolution for the printer (e.g., A3 @ 360dpi for my Epson 2100), sharpen using the appropriate setting in PK Sharpener and then print through Photoshop using "Print with Preview", letting PS manage all the colour management with the correct profile selected.

I always print one image at a time, have no need to print larger than Photoshop can deal with, and always use standard print sizes.

I'm going to download the demo and try it out for myself, but I'm interested to hear from others who have tried this already